Stomach ulcer treatment

Lifestyle measures can improve symptoms, such as:

 1.lose weight if your over weight.

2.Avoid any trigger foods, such as coffee, chocolate, tomatoes, fatty foods or spicy foods.

3.Eat smaller meals and eat your evening meal 3-4 hours before going to bed.

4.stop smoking.

Acid-suppressing medication

A 4- to 8-week course of a medicine that greatly reduces the amount of acid that your stomach makes is usually advised,see the separate leaflet called indigestion medication for more information.

What about surgery?

A repeat endoscopy, is usually advised a few weeks after treatment has finished. This is mainly to check that the ulcer has healed. It is also to be doubly certain that the 'ulcer' was not due to stomach cancer. If your ulcer was caused by H. pylori then a test is advised to check that the H. pylori infection has gone. This is done at least four weeks after the course of combination therapy has finished.

What causes stomach ulcers?

Your stomach normally produces acid to help with the digestion of food and to kill germs (bacteria). This acid is corrosive, so some cells on the inside lining of the stomach and the first part of the gut (small intestine) known as the duodenum produce a natural mucous barrier. This protects the lining of the stomach and duodenum.

There is normally a balance between the amount of acid that you make and the mucous defence barrier. An ulcer may develop if there is an alteration in this balance, allowing the acid to damage the lining of the stomach or duodenum. Causes of this include the following:

What tests are there for a stomach ulcer?

If your doctor thinks you may have a stomach ulcer, the initial tests will include some blood tests. These tests will help to check whether you have become anaemic because of any bleeding from the ulcer. The blood test will also check to see that your liver and pancreas are working properly.

The main tests that are then used to diagnose a stomach ulcer are as follows:

 1.A test to detect the H. pylori germ (bacterium) is usually done if you have a stomach ulcer. The H. pylori bacterium can be detected in a sample of stool (faeces), or in a 'breath test', or from a blood test, or from a biopsy sample taken during a gastroscopy. See the separate leaflet called Helicobacter Pylori for more details.

2.Gastroscopy (endoscopy) is the test that can confirm a stomach ulcer. Gastroscopy is usually done as an outpatient 'day case'. You may be given a sedative to help you to relax. In this test, a doctor looks inside your stomach by passing a thin, flexible telescope down your gullet (oesophagus). The doctor will then be able to see any inflammation or ulcers in your stomach.

3.Small samples (biopsies) are usually taken of the tissue in and around the ulcer during gastroscopy. These are sent to the laboratory to be looked at under the microscope. This is important because some ulcers are caused by stomach cancer. However, most stomach ulcers are not caused by cancer.